Accidents & Injuries

Parents and children alike look forward to four years and forty pounds when they no longer have to hassle with car seats. Even though experts (including me) recommend not using regular seat belts unti…

Teenage driving is a dangerous proposition, with fatal collisions the leading cause of death in 15-19 year olds. But getting teens together in a car multiplies the risk. According to a report in the M…

The biggest safety concern in baseball is getting hit with the ball. Traditional hardballs have cork centers that are wrapped in layers of wool. Safety baseballs have a polyurethane core and are the s…

Dr. Gaylord Lopez of the Georgia Poison Center has mused about new poisoning dangers on the horizon. His concern: the new great tasting flavors of acetaminophen (Tylenol). Acetaminophen overdose is al…

This morning I watched a school bus full of children stop suddenly. Because it was a school bus, the kids were not wearing seat belts. Should this be changed? The National Transportation Safety Board …

You can't see it. You can't smell it. You can't taste it. You can't feel it. But it is responsible for more poisoning deaths in the United States each year than anything but heroin. What is it? (more&…

The events that result in adult diseases often occur during childhood. The risk of osteoporosis later in life, for instance, is related to the amount of calcium someone receives in childhood. (more&he…

When children topple off a bike, helmets can save their brains -- cutting the risk of head injury by 80%. But some helmeted children still get brain damage. Why? One study has found that those who wea…

"Huffing," or inhaling volatile substances, is becoming increasingly popular among children, especially among 12- to 14-year-olds (Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 1998;152(8):781--786).…